Neuropeptide S(NPS) is an endogenous brain protein, which is believed to affect arousal, wakefulness, propensity for movement, asthma and some allergic responses, stress associated with several anxiety disorders and other physiological functions. Neuropeptide S is the endogenous ligand for the Neuropeptide S receptor (NPSR), which has also been referred to as TGR23 and vasopressin receptor-related receptor 1 (VRR1). The Neuropeptide S receptor is expressed in certain regions of the brain known to be involved in anxiety (e.g., the amygdala, thalamus and hypothalamic regions) and administration of NPS to rodents can cause increased locomotion and anxiolytic effects.
Neuropeptide S receptors are found in the mammalian brain and may have numerous implications in pathologies such as depression; anxiety; addictions; obsessive compulsive disorder; affective neurosis; depressive neurosis; anxiety neurosis; dysthymic disorder; behaviour disorder; mood disorder; sexual dysfunction; psychosexual dysfunction; sex disorder; schizophrenia; manic depression; delirium; dementia; severe mental retardation and dyskinesias such as Huntington's disease and Tourette syndrome; eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, cachexia, dysregulated appetite control; obesity; addictive feeding behaviors; binge/purge feeding behaviors; cardiovascular diseases; diabetes; appetite, taste, eating or drinking disorders; emesis, vomiting, nausea; asthma; cancer; Parkinson's disease; Cushing's syndrome/disease; basophile adenoma; prolactinoma; hyperprolactinemia; hypophysis tumour/adenoma; hypothalamic diseases; inflammatory bowel disease; gastric diskinesia; gastric ulcers; Froehlich's syndrome; adrenohypophysis disease; hypophysis disease; adrenohypophysis hypofunction; adrenohypophysis hyperfunction; hypothalamic hypogonadism; Kallman's syndrome (anosmia, hyposmia); functional or psychogenic amenorrhea; hypopituitarism; hypothalamic hypothyroidism; hypothalamic-adrenal dysfunction; idiopathic hyperprolactinemia; hypothalamic disorders of growth hormone deficiency; idiopathic growth deficiency; dwarfism; gigantism; acromegaly; disturbed biological and circadian rhythms; vigilance; sleep disturbances associated with diseases such as neurological disorders, neuropathic pain and restless leg syndrome; heart and lung diseases, acute and congestive heart failure; hypotension; hypertension; urinary retention; osteoporosis; angina pectoris; myocardinal infarction; ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke; subarachnoid haemorrhage; ulcers; allergies; benign prostatic hypertrophy; chronic renal failure; renal disease; impaired glucose tolerance; migraine; hyperalgesia; pain; enhanced or exaggerated sensitivity to pain such as hyperalgesia, causalgia, and allodynia; acute pain; burn pain; atypical facial pain; neuropathic pain; back pain; complex regional pain syndrome I and II; arthritic pain; sports injury pain; pain related to infection e.g. HIV, post-chemotherapy pain; post-stroke pain; post-operative pain; neuralgia; conditions associated with visceral pain such as irritable bowel syndrome, and angina; urinary bladder incontinence e.g. urge incontinence; tolerance to narcotics or withdrawal from narcotics; sleep disorders; sleep apnea; narcolepsy; insomnia; parasomnia; jet lag syndrome; and neurodegenerative disorders including nosological entities such as disinhibition-dementia-parkinsonism-amyotrophy complex; pallido-ponto-nigral degeneration; epilepsy; seizure disorders and other diseases related to general neuropeptide S system dysfunction.